Jonathan’s Reason

October 12, 2011

Every organizer has a reason behind why they decided to turn their passion into activism.

For Jonathan, that moment was in 2006, as he held his newborn daughter Emma for the first time. He promised Emma that night that he would work to make the world a better place for her. That promise is what launched Jonathan’s political activism, and it’s his reason for organizing his community to ensure a victory for President Obama in 2012.

“One of the most important reasons why President Obama needs to be re-elected is because we’re not done yet. We need more time to solve the problems that have developed over the course of a decade.”

2006 was just the beginning for Jonathan—these days he organizes on Long Island, where he’s the president of the Southeastern Brookhaven Democratic Club. In addition to their weekly meetings, Jonathan and the Brookhaven team host innovative events like their upcoming social media house party, where community members can learn how to increase the visibility of President Obama’s and other Democratic candidates’ messages across platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube. Afterwards, the group will finish the day by making some calls to other local community members to ask them if interested in getting involved with Obama 2012.

“This is something I believe I have to do. It’s challenging, but I wake up in the morning and say, ‘I’m going to make this work.’”

Besides making his way through call sheets and planning events like this one, Jonathan has his hands full with a full-time job as a paramedic supervisor and keeping up with his two growing kids, Emma and her younger brother Zach. Jonathan recognizes that all of this can be hard to balance, but he makes it work however he can, which sometimes means bringing his kids along to meetings.

“If we all get involved, and start doing this for our kids, we can get it done.”

For Jonathan, it’s knowing that years from now, when Emma and Zach are older and ask, “How did things get to where they are today? What did you do?” he’ll be able to let them know that he wholeheartedly put his energy into creating a better future for them.

What motivates you to get involved? There are opportunities for everyone, regardless of your schedule or how much time you can commit. By contributing to local campaign efforts in your community, you can help mobilize this campaign and leave your mark on it. Ready to go? Email ofanewyork@dnc.org to get started!